Virtual Antwerp Startup Fair very succesful

380 online meetings between talent and startups

Antwerp Startup Fair is a meeting place for startups to connect, meet and discuss job opportunities with high-potential talent. During more than 380 online videocalls, startups from Antwerp met 158 ambitious jobseekers.

These numbers show that there’s a lot of talent in Antwerp and that startups can make good use of this talent in order to grow, develop and internationalise. Working for a startup means working in an innovative and dynamic work environment. Staff members can grow along with the company and can gain experience in various fields, like finance and marketing.

A new approach leads to more productive meetings

For this virtual job fair, the organisation collaborated with Conversation Starter, a startup from Antwerp. The way their web application works is quite simple: on the one hand, startups and scale-ups were able to showcase their company in a personalised setting. On the other hand, jobseekers had the possibility to add a free and anonymous profile, highlighting their qualities and the kind of jobs they were looking for.

If there was a match, a meeting request for the Antwerp Startup Fair was sent to both parties. On the day of the fair, participants and companies met during a videocall, while they enjoyed the comfort of their own home or office. This approach not only lowered the threshold, it also led to more productive one-on-one meetings.   

Organised efficiently

One of the participating companies was Becode, a coding school where people can take a free web development course. Jorik Van den Bosch, Business Community Manager at Becode, was very satisfied with the online Antwerp Startup Fair: “I was a bit skeptical about the concept of a digital job fair. But in the end, it was very efficient and well-organised and I was able to meet fantastic people.”

Antwerp aims for the European top 10 scale-up cities

The people behind Antwerp Startup Fair work together closely with student association SINC, with TAKEOFF ANTWERP and with partners Experis and Voka – Chamber of Commerce Antwerp Waasland. The City of Antwerp also contributed to the success and that’s no coincidence. Antwerp is currently home to the fastest-growing ecosystem in digital innovation in Flanders.

If the numbers keep rising, Antwerp is well on its way to become an international reference regarding digital innovation. Therefore, it’s the city’s priority to allow the startups to develop into scale-ups and to stimulate the growth of the ecosystem. That way, startups provide for future innovation, employment and welfare. Antwerp’s ambition is very clear: within five years, the city wants to occupy a place in the European top 10 scale-up cities. 

Discover more about Antwerp’s ambition to further develop this ecosystem.